Calio to head airline group

Nick Calio, the head of Citigroup’s global lobbying operation, will become president of the Air Transport Association in January, putting a veteran of both Bush White Houses at the helm of the airlines’ trade group.

After big GOP gains in the midterm elections, the move gives the trade group a name brand Republican known for working well with Democrats. Calio replaces Jim May, another Republican, who will officially step down in February.

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“He’s so well liked by both Democrats and Republicans that for the ATA it’s a huge coup,” said Democratic lobbyist Jimmy Ryan, who got his start on K Street at Citigroup when Calio hired him from Sen. Harry Reid’s office. “The new challenge is figuring out how to get things done in a bipartisan manner and Nick is the guy who’s got the record to do it.”

In a statement to POLITICO, Reid said he has “always thought that Nick was a straight shooter and I appreciated that about him when he was at the White House. The ATA is fortunate to have a seasoned hand who understands the importance of finding bipartisan solutions.”

Calio is perhaps best known for being the only lobbyist in town to have run the legislative affairs shops of Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush – an experience that will come in handy as he attempts to manage ATA’s membership.

“If you can deal with cabinet members, you can deal with CEOs,” Calio told POLITICO on Monday during one of a string of interviews he did with news organizations rolling out the news.

In his seven years at Citi, Calio oversaw the expansion of the megabank’s international advocacy work from two Washington-based lobbyists to 18 people working in a dozen countries.

And he managed the bank’s legislative strategy during the debate over the most sweeping Wall Street reforms in a generation - an experience he said showed him the value of longtime relationships.

“Over the course of your career, treat people well, make sure they trust you and you’ll have a better platform to work on issues even in a very sour environment,” he said.

At ATA, Calio said he wants to expand the political action committee, which gave about $20,000 to candidates this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a political money watchdog group.

“You’ve got to be part of the political process and contributions and political support are part of the political process,” he said. “When you have people who consistently support you on policy issues, they expect you to be part of their political life support system. It’s just that simple.”

In 2002 election cycle, before Calio went to Citi, the bank’s PAC gave $463,000 to candidates. Under Calio’s tenure, the Citi’s PAC peaked in 2008, giving almost $700,000 to candidates before doling out just $392,000 this election cycle, according to the center.

“It wasn’t big enough,” Calio said of Citi’s PAC.

As ATA president, Calio will be fighting against higher taxes and increased regulation and for improved infrastructure and more access to foreign markets.

Calio declined to say how much he’ll make in the top job. But in 2008, his predecessor made about $1.5 million, according to documents filed with the IRS.